Vocational Training

Ruby Washington/The New York Times

News about Vocational Training, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 29, 2015

High demand for workers who can write computer code has spurred wave of career changes across nearly all industries; more workers are enrolling in short courses to learn coding, often at schools that specialize in accelerated digital training; strategy has allowed many to transition from low five-figure salaries to compensation in the six-figure range. MORE

Jul. 13, 2015

Op-Ed article by Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz and his wife Sheri announces that their family foundation will commit $30 million to help underprivileged young people enter and ascend in workforce; observes that some 5.6 million Americans between age 16 and 24 remain unemployed and outside school, situation devastating both for their own lives and for American economy; notes program will provide jobs, internships and apprenticeships to 100,000 young people over next three years MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column addresses inefficiencies in the labor market that may be contributing to unemployment and underemployment, particularly in reference to poorly-conceived academic requirements; cites McKinsey study in calling for a new online jobs platform to better nurture talent that already exists but that might not be 'badged' with college degrees; argues that educational reform, and a new emphasis on vocational training, are important components. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Editorial criticizes compromise reached between Senate Republicans and Democrats over funding for Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which offers retraining for workers who have lost jobs due to foreign competition; suggests that if lawmakers hope for more support for international trade agreements like Trans-Pacific Partnership, they should do more to aid domestic workers. MORE

May. 3, 2015

David L Kirp Op-Ed article touts success of summer-jobs programs for troubled teens; cites statistics showing applicants accepted into New York City's program, nation's largest publicly managed one, during 2005 to 2008 were preponderantly less likely to wind up in prison or die young; advocates for intervening in adolescent's life when he or she is on cusp of dropping out of school. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Community colleges in Texas and the Gulf Coast region are servicing surge in demand for welders, pipe fitters and other types of skilled labor that had once seemed doomed to obsolescence; insistent hunger for welders in particular has led to unusually close partnership between booming energy industry and local vocational schools (Series: A Shifting Middle). MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

Shortcuts column offers advice for receiving training and credentials for those interested in becoming coach; notes that International Coach Federation, main accrediting and credentialing body for both training programs and coaches, has seen its membership grow in recent years. MORE

Jan. 28, 2015

Hostos Community College in Bronx will offer new interdisciplinary program in food studies, which aims to prepare students for work in borough's fast-growing food industry. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Former orphanage in Boys Town, Neb, which is now a national juvenile rehabilitation center, is changing its middle and high school curriculum back to vocational classes, or career-readiness courses, in effort to produce workers skilled in trades like construction and automotive repair; $1.5 million renovation will outfit its high school with welding stations, engine repair shop, greenhouse and culinary arts kitchens. MORE

Nov. 3, 2014

Rachel L Swarns The Working Life column notes that Mayor Bill de Blasio is revamping New York City’s welfare program, vowing to dismantle what was once the largest workfare program in the nation and to embrace new strategies for moving thousands of people off the welfare rolls and into jobs; plans to prioritize education and training for able-bodied welfare recipients instead of automatically assigning them to workfare positions. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Dozens of coding boot camps have sprung up across the country, devoted to creating software developers; camps are small for-profit enterprises that are fast, nimble and unconcerned with SAT scores or diplomas, and graduates tend to quickly find well-paying jobs. MORE

Sep. 26, 2014

Solar energy company OnForce Solar is partnering with Bronx Community College to create technology hub in Bronx that will give emerging companies room to grow and help develop a skilled local work force; $7 million project will be paid for by OnForce, and the hub, which still requires state approval, would be an extension of the college. MORE

Sep. 17, 2014

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sues major for-profit trade school chain Corinthian Colleges, charging that it lured students with lies about job placement and used illegal tactics to collect on student loans. MORE

Aug. 22, 2014

Editorial calls on state and federal labor officials to monitor performance of training institutions that receive funds under federal Workforce Investment Act more aggressively; contends institutions like for-profit school Corinthian Colleges that have checkered histories should be removed from program. MORE

Aug. 18, 2014

Many of the millions of Americans who have enrolled in vocational training through the Workforce Investment Act have wound up significantly worse off, accumulating debt and failing to land a new job; $3.1 billion program was created following the financial crisis, and was renewed by Congress with little public discussion of its effectiveness; analysis has shown chief flaws include lack of oversight and reliance on expensive, for-profit institutions. MORE

Jul. 26, 2014

Editorial asserts that Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, while commendable for providing job training, fails to address overarching problem of limited job openings; suggests that real challenge is to create jobs and lift wages; holds that Congress has means to do both, but has so far failed to focus on those issues. MORE

Jul. 23, 2014

Pres Obama, citing 'skills gap' that prevents many unemployed workers from qualifying for new jobs, signs legislation to bolster federal job-training programs. MORE

Mar. 18, 2014

Sports officiating provides an agreeable part-time job to many, and it can be possible to turn job into full-time living; still, landing one of more than 300 coveted and lucrative positions in big-league sports remains difficult prospect; officiating camps and professional schools offer aspiring officials a way in. MORE

Feb. 28, 2014

Jim Dwyer About New York describes scene at a school fair at the Department of Probation in the Bronx; event is first of several planned by city's probation commissioner, Vincent N Schiraldi, that aim to formally connect younger people on probation with school or vocational trading. MORE

Feb. 27, 2014

Feb. 26, 2014

Four named plaintiffs are seeking debt relief and reimbursement from the federal government in lawsuit filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan; suit contends the government should stop trying to collect on loans that were given to students of now-shuttered Wilfred Academy beauty school, one of nationwide chain, since it was aware that the company routinely falsified student eligibility for the loans. MORE

Feb. 20, 2014

Seven former employees file federal fraud lawsuit against Harris School of Business and its parent company Premier Education Group, which owns more than two dozen trade schools and community colleges across nation; suit contends that schools, which charge over $10,000 for one-year programs, routinely misled students about career prospects and falsified records to enroll them, in order to maintain inflow of government grant and loan dollars. MORE

Dec. 11, 2013

The five-year, $250 million initiative is focused on filling the skills gaps in some of the largest United States and European job markets. MORE

Dec. 1, 2013

Labor experts and government officials say traditional apprenticeship programs, popular in Europe, could help sustain burgeoning growth in American factories; Tognum America has enrolled students from local high schools near its South Carolina factory in an apprenticeship program; BMW's plant in Greer, SC, its only one in United States, offers program that allows young workers to study at technical colleges and work. MORE

Sep. 8, 2013

College graduates and dropouts alike are adding to their formal educations with vocational training offered by commercial brands, like Goggle and Red Bull; members of traditional academia say the rise of such untraditional vocational institutions is understandable, given the constantly touted can-do possibilities of the Web combined with the deluge of depressing news about college debt and high unemployment numbers. MORE

Jul. 29, 2013

Hundreds of women in New York City are deep in debt, and with little training, after attending cosmetology schools that falsified student loan applications; federal student loans are difficult to relieve, and there is no statue of limitations on their collection; New York Legal Assistance Group has contacted federal Education Dept on victims' behalf, requesting refunds, restoration of credit and immediate discharge of the debt. MORE

Mar. 19, 2013

Many people are turning to online certificate programs to acquire a specific expertise that can lead them to a job or a promotion as employers demand more skills; certificate coursework can in many cases be applied toward a master's degree. MORE

Mar. 19, 2013

Many students are choosing careers in travel because industry has job openings and training, making it highly attractive in time of high unemployment; every sector of industry offers instruction, including degree programs or short-term certificate programs provided by community colleges, universities and professional associations. MORE

Jan. 4, 2013

Turning the Tables, organization that offers free courses in styling, retail clothing business, dress design and sewing, is aimed at giving prostitutes in Israel marketable skills and getting them off streets. MORE

Oct. 22, 2012

Pathways in Technology Early College High School in Brooklyn joins growing number of schools that weave high school and college curricula into a six-year program focused on teaching specialized science and technology skills; students will graduate with an associate degree that will help prepare them for entry-level technology industry jobs. MORE

Oct. 1, 2012

Microsoft, taking an unusual approach to tackling shortage of computer science graduates, is dispatching 110 engineers from high-tech companies to teach high school classes; shortage is one of the most serious issues facing the technology industry, and a broader challenge for nation’s economy. MORE

Sep. 22, 2012

Workers in a wide cross-section of fields that use computers find themselves having to constantly learn and adapt to new platforms and technological frontiers in order merely to stay afloat in their careers; expectation of constant improvement and change has led many to turn to bite-size instructional videos, peer-to-peer forums and virtual college courses (Series: The New American Job). MORE

Sep. 6, 2012

Op-Ed article by Wesleyan University Pres Michael S Roth notes that conservatives are once again calling for changes to the education system that would provide many low-income youths with only narrow technical educations; contends that such a system would neglect the core educational responsibility of giving each citizen the right to find significance in their lives and work. MORE

Jul. 26, 2012

Pres Obama, appearing at the National Urban League in New Orleans, La, issues a robust defense of his efforts to make higher education more affordable, to increase training programs for young people and to expand access to health care. MORE

Jul. 20, 2012

One third of adults in the United States have gone back to school in the last five years for additional training, and less than a third of them have found a new job or secured a promotion but most still consider the experience a good investment of time and money. MORE

Apr. 10, 2012

Editorial warns that Rep Paul Ryan's proposed budget would drastically cut federal job-training programs that have already been significantly gutted by past reductions; supports alternative proposal by Pres Obama that would consolidate programs and grant them additional funding. MORE

Apr. 9, 2012

Work force centers across the country that assist the unemployed are being asked to do more with less as federal funds dwindle for job training and related services; federal money for the primary training program for dislocated workers is 18 percent lower than it was in 2006; funds used to provide basic job search services, like guidance on resumes and coaching for interviews, have fallen by 13 percent; such cuts in funds for training have passed with little debate and little notice. MORE

Mar. 1, 2012

Colleges are tailoring their continuing education programs to help unemployed workers; are gearing their curriculum toward jobs that are in demand now and will be in the future. MORE

Feb. 14, 2012

President Obama, as part of his 2013 fiscal year budget, proposes an $8 billion fund to train two million workers for well-paying jobs in high-demand industries; fund, which needs Congressional approval, will be used to bolster partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train workers in areas like health care, transportation and advanced manufacturing. MORE

Jan. 8, 2012

Dozens of companies, many with growing profits and large cash reserves, have come to expect states to pay for training their workers in return for creating jobs; although the sums spent on training are usually small compared with the tax breaks and other credits doled out by states, some critics are questioning the tactic now that the labor market is showing some signs of improvement. MORE

Nov. 23, 2011

Jim Dwyer About New York column on Fresh Start program at Rikers Island, which gives participating inmates classes in parenting, cooking and relapse prevention. MORE

{"type":"article","show_header_text":true,"header":"ARTICLES ABOUT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION","query":"(des=\"VOCATIONAL TRAINING\") and tom!=\"Caption\" and tom!=\"Correction\" and tom!=\"List\" and tom!=\"Paid Death Notice\" and dsk!=\"Society\"","search_query":"(subject:\"VOCATIONAL TRAINING\") AND -type_of_material:\"Caption\" AND -type_of_material:\"Correction\" AND -type_of_material:\"List\" AND -type_of_material:\"Paid Death Notice\" AND -news_desk:\"Society\"","num_search_articles":"10","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"VOCATIONAL TRAINING","more_on_header":"MORE ON VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"","show_thumbnails":true}